Subscribe
Subscribe
The Coastal Edit: Where to Eat, Sip & Stay in Warrnambool
Windswept coastlines, artisan eats, wild beauty — Warrnambool’s got it all.
Where the Great Ocean Road exhales into rolling green hills and salty air, Warrnambool shimmers with wild beauty and a streak of surprise. Rugged cliffs tumble into turquoise foam, whales breach like local celebrities, and the wind always carries a whisper of the Southern Ocean. But beneath all that drama lies a town with true personality — one recently crowned the 2025 Victorian Top Tourism Town (population 5,000+), a well-deserved nod from the Victorian Tourism Industry Council.
Equal parts windswept and warm-hearted, it’s a coastal escape with edge, elegance, and just the right touch of fun. With artisan bakeries, native gardens in poetic bloom, and a food scene that punches well above its postcode, Warrnambool is more than ready for its national spotlight.
So, consider this your go-to guide for uncovering the very best things to do in Warrnambool.
Where to Eat & Drink in Warrnambool
Lot 17
Lot 17 is Warrnambool’s new gathering ground, built on curiosity, good produce and genuine hospitality. Everything is made on site with care — smoky baba ganoush, lamb backstrap with honey and goat’s cheese, crisp potatoes, flake with wholesome tartare and a standout schnitzel. Seasonal, local and thoughtful in its approach, it’s new Warrnambool restaurant where good food, good wine and good people naturally fall into step.
132 Timor Street, Warrnambool
Lost Cat
Lost Cat Dining began with a missing cat named Larry and has quickly grown into one of Warrnambool’s most assured dining rooms. Family-run and softly lit, it serves snapper crudo in white soy, charred cabbage in cashew cream, and a scotch fillet cooked to blush perfection. Blistered rosemary focaccia arrives with theatre, and desserts rotate from banoffee pie to rich chocolate torte. A coastal bistro with undeniable charm and finesse.
69 Liebig Street, Warrnambool
Day Kitty
Day Kitty in Warrnambool is a sanctuary where vibrant, organic vegetarian cuisine is elevated into an art form. Each plate, whether a nourishing bowl brimming with seasonal bounty or a Mexican-inspired creation alive with bold flavours, feels like a celebration of nature’s finest gifts. Cold-pressed juices and delicate organic teas accompany the feast, turning every visit into a thoughtful ritual of health and indulgence. It quietly commands attention as a beacon of mindful, modern dining.
52B Kepler Street, Warrnambool
Loving Our Guide to Warrnambool? You’ll Also Enjoy…
10 Scenic Train Rides from Melbourne for a Weekend Escape
20 Must-Do Bucket List Experiences in Victoria to Explore in 2026
Koko Avenue
Koko Avenue pours speciality coffee that softly lifts the morning, followed by fluffy pancakes with warm syrup, acai bowls bright as summer, and the Big Koko Breakfast — a generous spread with plenty of personality. The pastel-toned room carries an easy calm, sunlight sliding across tabletops, the gentle clink of cutlery setting the pace for an unhurried start.
Shop 13/1-49 Raglan Parade, Warrnambool
Wilba & Co.
Wilba & Co. knows how to set the tone for the day. Padre Coffee is poured with care, breakfast rolls land hot and satisfying, and pastries come out of the oven golden and impossible to resist. By midday, vibrant bowls take over, with gluten-free picks that feel genuinely considered.
8 Nicholson Street, Warrnambool
Tendril Wine Store
Tendril Wine Store is Warrnambool’s playground for wine lovers who like a side of something tasty. Beyond the carefully curated bottles — local heroes and rare finds — you’ll discover snacks that elevate the experience: think confit duck crostini, truffle bites, and salty Spanish olives. The crew know their stuff and love matching flavours, turning a quick visit into a mini celebration. Grab a drink, grab a nibble, and soak up the warm, welcoming charm.
120 Fairy Street, Warrnambool
The Dart & Marlin
The Dart and Marlin feels like your best mate’s sun-dappled backyard party — lively, welcoming, and just a little bit cheeky. Housed in a 19th-century stone beauty, it’s all about wood-fired pizzas that crackle with flavour, craft beers that hit the spot, and local tunes filling the air. Pull up a chair, order the ricotta gnocchi (any of the handmade pasta on the menu, really) and the minty Greek lamb pizza, and soak it all up.
216 Timor Street, Warrnambool
Rough Diamond
Rough Diamond has been serving old-school cool and excellent brekkies for nearly a decade. The toasted Turkish roll stacked with bacon, Swiss and red-eye BBQ sauce is a local legend, while falafel plates, smoked salmon and a standout chicken-melt toastie keep the menu lively.
Sitchu Tip: Don’t miss their date scones, freshly baked daily, and served warm with melting butter.
203 Koroit Street, Warrnambool
Frolic Lane
Step through the sandstone arches into Frolic Lane, a sultry, multi-level hideaway that blends speakeasy mood with garden-party vibes. Velvet-backed booths meet a fire-warmed courtyard, creating a space made for letting loose. Drinks arrive with a touch of theatre, bites lean luxe and shareable, and the atmosphere stays pitch-perfect. From drag bingo to late-night Negronis, Frolic Lane always brings the energy you need for a perfect trip to Warrnambool.
95 Kepler Street, Warrnambool
ToTo Town
ToTo Town may be small in size, but it packs a brunch punch that would rattle any big-city postcode. The Turkish-leaning menu is all sizzle and spice (hello, chilli butter eggs and housemade hummus), the service walks the perfect line between chill and clued-in, and yes, excellent coffee flows. The interiors? Think burnished timber, golden hour glow, and a room full of regulars who clearly know what’s good.
Unit 1/49 Kepler Street, Warrnambool
Ilma Cakes & Co
Ilma Cakes & Co. is a sugar-kissed favourite where croissants flake perfectly and loaded cookies have well-earned cult status. Industry Beans coffee keeps things smooth, while vanilla slices and flat whites are done with real care. Custom cakes shine brightest — Russian honey, Persian love, all gorgeous. And the cruffins? Essential. Truly.
115A Fairy Street, Warrnambool
What to Do in Warrnambool
Deep Blue Hot Springs
Deep Blue Hot Springs is Warrnambool’s answer to deep, instant calm. Drift between 18 mineral pools, sensory caves and gentle waterfalls, each space warm, steamy and soothing. After dark, the baths glow beneath the stars for a truly atmospheric soak. Stay next door at the Deep Blue Hotel and turn an afternoon dip into a full coastal reset.
Worm Bay Road, Warrnambool
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village
Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village is a vivid window into 19th-century coastal life. Wander the recreated port town, explore maritime relics like the famed Loch Ard Peacock, and climb the 1858 lighthouse for ocean views. Stay after dark for Tales of the Shipwreck Coast, a powerful sound-and-light experience that brings the region’s maritime history to life.
89 Merri Street, Warrnambool
Warrnambool Botanic Gardens
Warrnambool Botanic Gardens is a lush, 20-acre sanctuary designed by William Guilfoyle, the genius behind Melbourne’s Royal Botanic Gardens. Meander along winding paths past a tranquil lily pond, historic band rotunda, and enchanting fernery. The gardens invite picnics, peaceful strolls, and playful discovery for all ages — a lush green heartbeat just minutes from the city centre.
24 Bromfield Street, Warrnambool
Beach Days
Warrnambool’s coastline is a study in mood and movement, where wild cliffs, sheltered coves and sweeping views unfold at every turn. Float in the calm curve of Stingray Bay, then wander to Thunder Point for sandstone drama and sunset glow. Lady Bay is made for easy swims and long sandy walks, while the nearby Bay of Islands delivers towering limestone grandeur. A coastline that excels in every mood.
Warrnambool Wildlife Encounters
Warrnambool Wildlife Encounters offers an intimate, hands-on look at Australia’s favourite native animals. Think gentle moments with kangaroos, close encounters with koalas, curious wombats shuffling over for pats, and dingoes observed up close. Guided sessions keep group sizes small, blending conservation insight with genuine connection. Set in Cudgee, just minutes from the Great Ocean Road, it’s a wholesome, memorable stop for wildlife lovers of all ages.
21 Trotters Lane, Cudgee
See a show at the Lighthouse Theatre
Lighthouse Theatre is Warrnambool’s beating cultural heart: a restored 1891 Town Hall turned world-class performance space, where heritage grandeur meets state-of-the-art design. From indie icons like Meg Washington to crowd favourites like Pete Murray, the stage hosts a dynamic program spanning live music, ballet, theatre, and comedy. Plush red seats, soaring glass walls and pitch-perfect acoustics set the scene for unforgettable nights out.
185 Timor Street, Warrnambool
Whale Watching at Logans Beach
Each winter, Logan’s Beach in Warrnambool transforms into a front-row seat to one of nature’s most awe-inspiring performances. From the accessible viewing platform, you can spy Southern Right Whales breaching, spy-hopping, and nursing their calves, often just metres from the shore. Running from June through September, the season offers moments of breathtaking stillness and wonder, where the sea comes alive in the most maternal way. Rug up, bring binoculars, and prepare to be humbled by the ocean’s gentle giants.
Logans Beach, Warrnambool
Hopkins Falls
Just 15 minutes from Warrnambool, Hopkins Falls delivers a breathtaking spectacle: 11 metres of cascading water stretched across one of Victoria’s widest waterfalls. Set against rolling green pastures, this basalt beauty is at its most powerful in winter and spring. Come early summer, you might just spot baby eels leaping upstream in a magical migration. With picnic tables, viewing platforms and fresh country air, it’s a scenic detour that always hits the sweet spot.
Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve
Tower Hill Wildlife Reserve sits inside an ancient volcanic crater just outside Warrnambool, a restored sanctuary where emus wander, koalas rest in gum trees and kangaroos graze under wide southern skies. Trails loop around crater lakes and wetlands shaped by decades of revegetation. Join Worn Gundidj guides to learn Eastern Maar stories and feel the deep, old rhythm of this remarkable landscape.
Where to Stay in Warrnambool
Deep Blue Hotel & Hot Springs
Where the Southern Ocean brushes the shore and steam curls into the sky, Deep Blue Hotel & Hot Springs sets the mood for a proper coastal reset. With 15 open-air geothermal rock pools, a sensory cave, a cold plunge and a swanky indoor bathhouse, it’s a soak sanctuary par excellence, especially when twilight sets in, and the pools glow under the stars. Add plush, sea-view rooms, a luxe day spa, and an on-site bar and restaurant for grazing and spritzing, and you’ve got Warrnambool’s wellness crown jewel. Come for the hot springs, stay for the elevated salty serenity.
1 Worm Bay Road, Warrnambool
Book your stay with Deep Blue Hotel
Book your stay with Booking.com
The Landing
Set on the peaceful banks of the Merri River, The Landing is a radiant Warrnambool accommodation crafted for lovers of luxe simplicity and soulful stillness. Vintage industrial bones meet soft linens, twin clawfoot baths catch the sunset’s blush, and the open-air cinema flickers beside a crackling fire. Wander down to the river flats with a glass of wine, sink into the velvet couch, or wake to a golden sunrise.
Book your stay with The Landing
Stone Keepers Run
Stone Keepers Run is the ultimate riverside escape, all historic bluestone and luxe comforts. With space for 14 and dreamy en-suites, it’s a playground for kayaking, fishing, or simply soaking up that legendary Hopkins River vibe.
Book your stay with Stone Keepers Run
Henna
Henna is the sultry coastal stay of your design dreams, where retro velvet meets freestanding bath indulgence and a fire crackles just so in the background. This two-bedroom Warrnambool stay is all natural light and slow-living allure, from king-sized sleep-ins to sips of Flockhart Sticky Chai on repeat. The vibe? A vinyl soundtrack, plush textures, and a courtyard strung with festoons made for a twilight tea or glass of wine.
Book your stay with Warrnambool Retreats
The Bushfield Villa
Just beyond Warrnambool, Bushfield Villa is an adults-only haven with a sunlit, Mediterranean mood. The one-bedroom retreat overlooks a vineyard, with highland cows wandering past and an alfresco bathtub made for long soaks. Inside, soft light moves across curated interiors, crisp linens and an elegant bath-and-shower setup. A stay designed entirely for slow hours and easy luxury.
Port Cottage
Port Cottage is a coastal hideaway that softens your shoulders the moment you arrive. One of Port Campbell’s early beach houses, it’s been reimagined with real shipwreck relics, vintage vinyl, and a striking peacock-blue bedroom shaped by salvaged history. Mornings begin with birdsong and ocean rumble, afternoons drift between the beach and a pergola pour of Timboon whisky. With no TV, a deep bath, and stories running through every timber beam, it’s an escape built for slower days and simple pleasures.
Book your stay with Port Stays
Book your stay with Booking.com
From whale season wonders to geothermal soaks and historic tales, Warrnambool proves it’s more than just a stop on the Great Ocean Road — it’s an award-winning destination in its own right. Hit the road and let the wild west woo you. For more epic road trip inspiration, explore our guide to Victoria’s top routes, plus our curated list of the best stays along the Great Ocean Road.
